Abstract
Since the early 1960s, FAO has provided assistance to countries to identify their animal genetic resources and develop conservation strategies. However, only in 1990, upon recommendation of the FAO Council, was the first comprehensive global programme for the sustainable management of animal genetic resources initiated. This programme, based on recommendations of experts and subsequently adopted by FAO’s governing bodies, developed in 1993 into a Global Strategy for the Management of Animal Genetic Resources. The signing of Agenda 21 and the ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) further supported and enhanced the development of the Global Strategy. In 1995, the mandate of the Commission on Plant Genetic Resources was broadened to address other genetic resources of importance for food and agriculture, beginning with animal genetic resources. In 1996, the contribution of animal genetic resources to food security and rural development as well as their importance for further development of the Global Strategy were recognized, both by the World Food Summit and the Third Conference of Parties to the CBD.
In 1997, on request of the FAO Conference, the Director-General established an Ad Hoc Group of Experts to prepare for the further work of an Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITWG-AnGR). The Ad Hoc Group stressed the importance of establishing a strong intergovernmental mechanism to facilitate and promote better management of animal genetic resources at global, regional and national levels. Following these recommendations, the ITWG-AnGR was established as a subsidiary body to the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture at its seventh session, in May 1997, with a mandate to provide recommendations on the further development of the Global Strategy. The Working Group is regionally balanced and consists of 27 member countries, elected at each regular session of the Commission and expected to serve until the next regular session.
During its first session, which took place on 8-10 September 1998, the ITWG-AnGR considered proposals for further development of the Global Strategy. In their recommendations, the ITWG-AnGR requested that FAO continue to shape the framework more clearly, further develop constituent elements of the strategy and continue to provide core budgetary support, while all stakeholders sought to mobilize extra-budgetary support for conservation and sustainable utilization of AnGR. It was also recommended that FAO coordinate the development of the First Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources, which would provide an assessment of countries’ AnGR programmes and the state of farm animal genetic resources. At the same time countries were invited to identify National Focal Points/Coordinators urgently and, where appropriate, Regional Focal Points.
The second session of the ITWG-AnGR, on 4-6 September 2000, considered the progress in developing and implementing the Global Strategy at global, regional and national levels, focusing on the preparation for the report on the state of the world’s animal genetic resources. The Working Group stressed the need for a country-driven approach in the development of the report, which should be based on official Country Reports and would provide a foundation for the better use, development and conservation of AnGR at country and regional levels. The Working Group developed an extensive set of recommendations and accepted proposed guidelines for country report preparation, together with a process and timetable for the development of the First Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources.
Introduction
Animal genetic resources have been contributing to food and agriculture for more than 12 000 years, providing the human population with a wide range of food products, along with fibre, fertilizer for crops, manure for fuel and draught power. In addition, animal genetic resources frequently reduce farmers’ risk exposure, generate employment and contribute to rural development. It is estimated that, directly or indirectly, domestic animals contribute 30-40 percent of the total value of food and agriculture production. In the course of the development of diverse human societies, livestock became a very important cultural element and is essential in maintaining many traditional lifestyles.
Farmers and breeders have been using animal genetic diversity effectively to develop breeds and varieties that were suitable for local environmental conditions and provided for different human needs and wants. The domestication process and breeding under different environments has resulted in over 6 000 identified breeds developed within about 40 animal species. The total diversity of animal genetic resources available to farmers makes it possible for humans to survive in a wide range of production environments, from hot-humid tropics to arid deserts and cold, severe mountainous regions. Genetic diversity also supported livestock adaptation to many limiting environmental factors, such as diseases, parasites, wide variations in the availability and quality of food and water, and extreme temperatures.
AnGR at international fora
International awareness of the essential role of animal genetic resources in food and agriculture is gradually increasing. Agricultural biological diversity has been discussed by the conferences of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. At the second conference, in 1995, by Decision II/15 the Parties recognized the special nature of agricultural biodiversity, its distinctive features and problems needing distinctive solutions. The major discussion on agrobiodiversity took place at the Third Conference of the Parties in Buenos Aires, in 1996, where by Decision III/11, Parties decided to develop a programme of work on agricultural biological diversity. Moreover, Parties strongly endorsed the further development of the FAO Global Strategy for the Management of Farm Animal Genetic Resources and supported the development of inventories, which would lead to a better understanding of the status of farm animal genetic resources and the measures necessary for their conservation and sustainable utilization.
In 1996, the contribution of animal genetic resources to food security, poverty alleviation and rural development was recognized by the World Food Summit.
The Fifth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, in 2000, by Decision V/5 endorsed a multi-year work programme on agricultural biological diversity, which included four programme elements, namely: i) assessments, ii) adaptive management, iii) capacity-building and iv) mainstreaming. The need to build upon existing international plans of action, programmes, and strategies that have been agreed by countries in the implementation of the work programme has been endorsed by Parties, which specifically noted the role of the Global Strategy for the Management of Farm Animal Genetic Resources.
The Commission on Sustainable Development, developing Agenda 21, strongly emphasized the importance of promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development (SARD), and underlined the essential need to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources in achieving sustainable agriculture. At its eighth session, in 2000, the Commission on Sustainable Development adopted a decision on sustainable agriculture and rural development, which, inter alia, urged governments to "implement and actively contribute to the further development of the Global Strategy for the Management of Farm Animal Genetic Resources". Sustainable agriculture will also be an important agenda item for the next Word Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10).
FAO involvement in AnGR management global programme and establishment of the intergovernmental mechanism
Since the early 1960s, FAO has been providing assistance to countries to identify their animal genetic resources and develop conservation strategies. However, only in 1990, upon recommendation of the FAO Council, was the first comprehensive global programme for the sustainable management of animal genetic resources initiated. This programme, based on recommendations of experts and subsequently adopted by FAO’s governing bodies, developed in 1993 into a Global Strategy for the Management of Animal Genetic Resources. The signing of Agenda 21 and the ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity further supported and enhanced the development of the Global Strategy.
The major step, however, was taken only in 1995, when by decision of the FAO Conference, the mandate of the Commission on Plant Genetic Resources was broadened to address other genetic resources of importance for food and agriculture, beginning with animal genetic resources. According to its Statutes, adopted by Resolution 1/110 of the FAO Council, the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) "shall have a coordinating role and shall deal with policy, sectoral and cross-sectoral matters related to the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources of relevance for food and agriculture". The Statutes include the following provision: "The Commission may establish an intergovernmental technical sectoral working group, with appropriate geographical balance, to assist in the areas of: plant, animal, forestry and fisheries genetic resources". At present, the CGRFA is the largest FAO Commission, with over 160 Member Nations and the European Community.
In 1997, on request of the FAO Conference, the Director-General established an Ad Hoc Group of Experts, to prepare for the further work of an Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITWG-AnGR). The Ad Hoc Group stressed the importance of establishing a strong intergovernmental mechanism to facilitate and promote better management of animal genetic resources at global, regional and national levels. Following these recommendations, the ITWG-AnGR was established as a subsidiary body to the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture at its seventh session, in May 1997, with a mandate to provide recommendations on the further development of the Global Strategy. The Working Group is regionally balanced and consists of 27 member countries, which are elected at each regular session of the Commission and are expected to serve until the next regular session.
The Global Strategy for management of farm animal genetic resources
The Global Strategy has been designed to provide a comprehensive framework for the management of farm animal genetic resources. It consists of four interrelated components, each composed of several elements. The major components are: an Intergovernmental Mechanism to ensure direct government involvement and continuity of policy advice and support; a Planning and Implementation Infrastructure, providing the enabling framework for country action and regional and global support; a Technical Programme of Work, aimed at supporting the effective management of animal genetic resources at country level; and a Reporting and Evaluation component, to provide the critical data and information required for guidance, cost-effective planning and action, and progress evaluation in implementation of the Global Strategy.
The first component, the Intergovernmental Mechanism, is essential to ensure governmental and stakeholder involvement in the further development and the implementation and monitoring of the Global Strategy. The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture has such a role, being responsible for providing government guidance to the FAO Secretariat in the area of AnGR. The preparatory work and the conduct of the Commission’s activities are funded from Regular Programme budget sources.
The key component of the Global Strategy is the Country-based Planning and Implementation Infrastructure, which includes five structural elements:
The Global Focal Point at FAO Headquarters leads the planning, development and implementation of the overall strategy; develops and maintains the information and communication systems; oversees preparation of guidelines; coordinates activity among the regions; prepares reports and meeting documents; facilitates policy discussions; identifies training, education and technology transfer needs; develops programme and project proposals; and mobilizes donor resources.
A Technical Programme of Work covers several elements: national management plans for animal genetic resources, sustainable intensification, characterization, conservation, communication, and emergency plans and response. To support the implementation of the Technical Programme of Work at country level, FAO has developed a series of guidelines that provide an effective means to identify various technical issues and offer options for their solution. Beyond primary guidelines, focused on the development of national farm animal genetic resources management plans, there are several secondary guidelines, addressing various aspects of AnGR management, such as measurement of domestic animal diversity (MoDAD), sustainable intensification of AnGR (including animal recording and improvement in low- and medium-input production systems), breeding strategies development, and management of small populations at risk.
The final component, Reporting and Evaluation, provides for reporting on the status of animal genetic resources, together with monitoring and evaluation of progress in the implementation of the Global Strategy. The most important element here is the First Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources; the findings of the report will guide further development of the Global Strategy and follow-up action.
There are also two cross-cutting areas that contribute to implementation of all four components of the Global Strategy, namely Capacity-building and Technical Assistance.
Capacity-building includes: training and education; technology transfer; guidelines development; research; data and information management; and communication and coordination. Technical assistance is provided by an FAO cadre of experts and through various experts’ meetings. Guidance is provided by the Informal Panel of Experts and implemented using advanced data and information software.
The first session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
The Members of the ITWG-AnGR, elected at the 7th Session of the CGRFA, included:
- Africa: Botswana, Cameroon, Madagascar, Niger, Tunisia;
- Asia: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia;
- Europe: Denmark, Israel, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland;
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela;
- Near East: Egypt, Iran, Sudan;
- North America: Canada, United States of America; and
- Southwest Pacific: New Zealand, Samoa.
During its first session, which took place in Rome on 8-10 September 1998, the Working Group considered proposals for further development of the Global Strategy and initiation of the First Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources. Participants in the first session of the ITWG-AnGR included 23 member countries, 37 observer countries and representatives of UN agencies and international organizations such as: the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the European Association for Animal Production (EAAP), the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), Safeguard for Agricultural Varieties in Europe (SAVE), the World Association for Animal Production (WAAP), the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). As AnGR was discussed for the first time at the intergovernmental meeting, there were many basic questions and policy issues to consider, and these became a focus for the deliberations of the Working Group.
Recognizing the contribution of many ongoing national, bilateral, regional and multilateral development programmes and activities to the objectives of the Global Strategy, and the involvement of many national, regional and global organizations in the development, use and conservation of AnGR, the Working Group stressed the need to create synergy and promote the optimal utilization of human, financial and other resources through an overview of activities and mechanisms for promoting cooperation and collaboration.
The Working Group stressed the importance of drawing upon expertise already available in different regions and ensuring the participation of experts from all regions in further development of the Global Strategy. The need to involve local, regional and international governmental and non-governmental organizations, including breeders’ organizations and the private sector, was underlined in order to encourage the involvement of all stakeholders in AnGR. The Working Group stressed the role of effective communication in increasing understanding and public awareness of the many roles and values of AnGR and their contribution to world agricultural production, poverty alleviation and rural development.
Noting that AnGR are not uniformly distributed, the Working Group recognized that developing countries with high farm animal diversity should be given special attention, in a regionally balanced manner, in setting priorities for international assistance.
While discussing technical issues, the Working Group highlighted the need to examine the relationship between the loss of AnGR and environmental degradation, and the need to better integrate livestock and crop systems in order to achieve the sustainable use of agro-ecosystems, emphasizing the value of locally adapted resources in the wide variety of production environments. At the same time, the Working Group stressed the need to share experience, through the case studies, on positive and negative impacts of AnGR management, underlining the need for extensive evaluation of the impact of exotic genetic resources. The Working Group also emphasized that AnGR should be better characterized, maintained and developed in order to provide countries and farmers with flexibility in a variety of production environments. Such characterization should also cover underutilized species and their potential contribution to food and agriculture.
The recommendations the Working Group provided for the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture were most comprehensive, and requested:
(i) that FAO continue to shape more clearly the framework and further develop constituent elements of this global strategy for the management of farm animal genetic resources, and continue to provide core budgetary support, and that all stakeholders seek to mobilize extra-budgetary support, from all sources, for conservation and sustainable utilization of AnGR;
(ii) that countries that had not already done so urgently identify National Focal Points/Coordinators and, where appropriate, Regional Focal Points; and
(iii) that FAO coordinate the development of a country-driven Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources that could provide an assessment of countries’ animal genetic resources programmes and the state of farm animal genetic resources.
While discussing the preparation of the First Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources (SoW-AnGR) the Working Group also agreed on the preparation of guidelines in consultation with countries, to be used for collecting and assembling existing data and information, and supported further the development of DAD-IS to assist the reporting process.
The recommendations of the ITWG-AnGR were endorsed by the FAO Committee on Agriculture (January 1999), the CGRFA (April 1999) and finally, in November 1999, the FAO Council. At its 8th Regular Session in April 1999, the CGRFA endorsed the recommendations of the ITWG-AnGR, agreed that the SoW-AnGR process should be consultative and cost-effective and noted an urgent need for guidelines to assist the country report preparation. At the same time, the Commission requested that the guidelines be developed in consultation with countries and reviewed by the ITWG-AnGR.
The second session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
The Members of the ITWG-AnGR elected at the 8th Regular Session of the CGRFA were as follows:
- Africa: Botswana, the Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Mali, Tunisia;
- Asia: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia;
- Europe: Denmark, France, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia;
- Latin America and Caribbean: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela;
- Near East: Egypt, Iran, Sudan;
- North America: Canada, United States of America; and
- Southwest Pacific: New Zealand, Samoa.
The second session of the ITWG-AnGR, on 4-6 September 2000, considered the progress in developing and implementing the Global Strategy at global, regional and national levels, focusing on the preparation for the First Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources. Twenty-three out of 27 member countries attended the session, together with 33 observer countries and representatives of eight UN agencies and NGOs.
In its deliberations, the Working Group underlined the importance of animal genetic resources to poverty alleviation, food security, rural development and sustainable use of natural resources and the importance of sustainable AnGR management for the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Recognizing countries’ sovereignty over their genetic resources, the Working Group noted that food security was a global responsibility, and that donor support was crucial to assist developing countries in improving the management of their AnGR for present and future use.
The Working Group expressed concern about the rapid loss of AnGR, the various aspects of this loss and the absence of an early warning system and response mechanism. The Working Group also drew attention to the importance of a better understanding of the level of endangerment, not only at country level but also at regional and global levels, and indicated that the development of such modalities within the Global Strategy would support a priority-setting process at all levels. Stressing the need for enhancement of the economic valuation of AnGR, the Working Group recognized the importance of this valuation, both for better understanding of many roles and values of AnGR and for setting conservation priorities. Appreciating the progress already made in advancing and implementing the Global Strategy, the Working Group provided many detailed suggestions for its further development.
The Working Group stressed the importance of the first SoW-AnGR report and the need to base it on Country Reports, in order to provide a foundation for the better use, development and conservation of animal genetic resources at country and regional levels. The Working Group accepted draft guidelines and the proposed timeline for the completion of the Country Reports for the SoW-AnGR report, noting that this timeline depended on securing extra-budgetary financial resources and building capacity at the country and regional level, and on the development of country reporting tools within DAD-IS.
The Working Group observed that a report on the strategic priorities for action would be prepared for consideration by the Working Group and the CGRFA in 2003. The report would provide a valuable opportunity to increase the awareness of the roles and values of AnGR, expose gaps, identify issues and priorities, and enable early follow-up actions.
The Working Group, requesting countries to enhance efforts to develop national strategies and action plans for animal genetic resources, provided an extensive set of recommendations to address the preparation of the SoW-AnGR report and to further the development of the Global Strategy and the future work of the Working Group. These recommendations would be presented to the CGRFA at its 9th Regular Session, to be held at the end of 2001.
Recommendations
addressing the preparation of the first report on the state of the world’s animal genetic resources
addressing the future development of the Global Strategy
addressing future meetings of the Working Group
Conclusions
The interest in and commitment to improving the management of animal genetic resources within FAO and the global community is greater than ever before. The major initiative, to prepare a country-driven report on the state of the world’s animal genetic resources, was recognized as contributing to achieving objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity and, in particular, the implementation of its Work Programme on Agricultural Biological Diversity. The preparation of strategic Country Reports should initiate in-depth discussion on the state of and capacities for AnGR management at country level and support identification of national priorities.
The process of country report preparation was foreseen as participatory and consultative, with contributions from and involvement of all stakeholders, and the report will have the status of an official government document.
The needs and priorities in the area of capacity-building identified in Country Reports will contribute to the establishment of regional priorities that will be recognized in a strategic priority action report, to be completed in 2003 and considered by the 10th Regular Session of the CGRFA. The preparation of the report on SoW-AnGR provides an opportunity not to be missed, both in developing and developed countries, facilitating a broad discussion and initiation of action focused on the enhancement of sustainable management of AnGR.
